West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District

Historic district in Pennsylvania, United States

United States historic place

Significant dates

West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district

College Hall (and Logan Hall) viewed from Woodland Ave., ca. 1892.
39°57′1″N 75°12′45″W / 39.95028°N 75.21250°W / 39.95028; -75.21250
Area	640 acres (260 ha)
Architect	multiple
Architectural style	Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Classical Revival
NRHP reference No.	97001669^[1] (original) 100002341 (increase)
Added to NRHP	February 5, 1998
Boundary increase	April 17, 2018

The West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District is an area of West Philadelphia listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It represented the transformation of Philadelphia's rural farmland into urban residential development, made possible by the streetcar, which provided easy access to Center City.^[2] This is an early example of the streetcar suburb.

Development had proceeded during the 19th century to about 43rd Street. The arrival of electrified streetcars in 1892 accelerated development to the west and southwest.^[3]^[4]

Noted Philadelphia church architect Isaac Pursell (1853-1910) designed the contributing Christ Memorial Church (1887) at 4233-4257 Chestnut Street.^[5]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
^ West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District
^ "Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley, or, A Short History of Route 34". Retrieved March 11, 2008.
^ Rodin, Judith (2007). The University & Urban Revival. University of Pennsylvania. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-8122-4022-1. streetcar suburb West Philadelphia.
^ Seventh Annual Endangered Properties List, Preservation Matters: The Newsletter of The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, Winter 2010